So I Have This Friend...

And this friend of mine is a huge hockey fan. He's a huge Blackhawks fan and continually gives me the business about not paying enough attention to the Hawks. Granted, I probably don't and I have said before that I may just adopt the Preds as my hockey team...being that I live in Nashville and all and of course, the Titans are never going to top the Packers.

So I was flipping last night and got to some hockey game. I watched a little of it, literally since there was all of two minutes left. While watching and preparing dinner I saw that the Blackhawks were playing the Avalanche, and the game was coming up next. Yes!

So I sit down to watch this hockey game, in HD, for the first time in who knows how long. Motivated and fired up to watch. Well.

The Hawks came out firing, and after about five minutes, it looked like they needed a nap. I couldn't get over how much smaller the ice looked. Have guys really gotten that big? I mean, probably, but still I couldn't believe it. I mean, that #88 guy is supposed to be really good, and he has his signs I suppose. Maybe he did something in the third period which I couldn't watch do to boredom and poor hockey.

Again, I don't know much about hockey. Being that I am from Chicago, I know more than anyone who has been raised in the South a few reasons: I have been to a hockey game at Chicago Stadium and seen fights in the stands, I have played hockey outside on a pond, and I have played at Burns Field. Not to mention, I have never lost in NHL '95. So all of these are pretty strong cases to be an expert, but still I don't claim to be. I can tell however when a team is tired. They check for about 4 minutes, then they let up. That's what the Hawks did last night. If I was Denis, I'd probably destroy everything in the locker room and throw on the 18 and get out there.

Moral of the story is that maybe there is in fact a reason that no one watches regular season hockey. The bad teams are, well, bad. And I mean terrible. I don't know if I can even come up with anything good to say, other than it was just one game. I will continue to give hockey a shot but keep in mind, I'm a pretty big sports guy who will watch curling over most things. I'm not a tough sell. America is. Best of luck to the NHL with this competition.

Australian Open Round Up

So for many of you out there who don't follow too much tennis, a men's final in a Grand Slam that doesn't include Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal/Andy Roddick means nothing. I can understand that without a doubt. Here at No Owens, we are big Federer fans. But as this year's Australian Open comes to a close, it may be the best thing for Federer, and tennis.

Federer wasn't as dominant last year as he was in years past. Part of that had to do with the emergence of Nadal. Even in the Wimbledon final, it became hard to believe that Nadal wasn't winning. I mean, he out played Roger. But Federer has that grit, the ability to grind it out that gets him the big points when he needs them, while his opponent goes for big shots. He forces you into playing hard shots to beat him, and Federer knows that percentages are on his side.

Novak Djokovic beat up on Federer. Federer didn't have his dominant shot making ability, nor did he have his grit. And it was because Djokovic took it away from him. Federer didn't look good. I don't know how many unforced errors Federer had, but all of those backhands that he missed were awful. For years it looked like people didn't belong on the court with Federer...whereas it seemed like Federer didn't belong on the court with Djokovic.

So what does this mean? Nadal went further into a hard court slam than ever before. Now Djokovic is a serious contender with a Slam on his resume and can't yet drink legally in the United States. Everyone is catching up to Roger Federer, and it's great for Men's Tennis. I spoke once of the argument I had with someone trying to demerit Federer for the lack of talent. As much as I disagree with that argument, it seems that the world has caught up to the great Roger Federer.

Roger Federer hasn't been pushed like this before. He's faced the Nadal dominance on clay and everyone has come to accept that. But this is different. This is unexpected to us, and to him the most. Now Federer is mad. I bet he is absolutely furious. Is he going to hire a coach? I don't know. But expect him to come ready to play in Paris. In fact, in lieu of this loss, I expect Federer to win his first French this year. Never before have we seen him on a mission like this. Keep in mind, if he doesn't win in Paris, it will be the first time in how many years that he has gone winless in two straight slams?

All of this Federer talk aside, Djokovic was amazing. He was without a doubt the best player in Melbourne. He's going to be around for a long, long time.

Weighing in on the Boot

Are any of you taking the Tom Brady foot thing seriously?

If you are, don't.

First of all, Brady will play in the Super Bowl. Second, if he doesn't, Matt Cassell will give them just as good of a shot at winning as Brady.

If there is in fact an issue with Brady's health, I would be very concerned if I was an executive in Foxboro. Why? Well, my franchise quarterback hasn't been hit all year and he finds a way to sprain his ankle? What is this guy doing with his life?

If I'm not mistaken, Belicheck has a degree in psychology. He plays mind games better than anyone else and if this Brady thing was pre-meditated, Belicheck had good reason for it. In his sick and twisted mind.

What's sad is that in the past 2 months, there's been more about star quarterbacks in US Weekly than in Sports Illustrated. If I wanted to know what's going on with Tom Brady's health, I could turn on E! and find out a lot faster than by hitting up ESPN. I mean, I know that I knock ESPN for their ability to become more E! like i suppose, but this is getting out of hand.

Case and point; I don't care about Tony Romo and Jessica Simpson collectively, much less them as individuals. I do care a lot about Gisele as an individual, but I could care less about whatever she's doing with the most overrated athlete in the history of sports. This is getting out of hand. Why can't we just go back to the days of athletes just dating the cheerleaders or something? Why do these guys have to be celebrities as well? At least Tony Parker keeps things as under wraps as possible.

Get over it. Nothing is wrong with Tom Brady. He doesn't get hit. He stands in his pocket and waits for one of his 14 receivers to get open. If he is, maybe we should void his milk add.

So I Now Have HD...

It is changing my life, for the better.

I can't tell you how I made it through almost two years of watching a legit television in standard definition. I guess, I don't know. I mean, watching "Shooter" in black and white would still probably be a life altering experience. I do live in the, "patron state of shooting stuff."

So obviously I forked over the whatever it is per month to get the sports package. Basically I only got it so I could watch like, four extra NFL games, next season, but I did something I hadn't done in a while last night. I watched hockey.

Now, this wasn't for a long period of time for two reasons. First, Maria Sharapova was playing, and playing well. Plus, she's looking better than usual, which is nice. Second, Music HD is the best channel ever and they had the Isle of Wight concert on so I got a half hour of The Who followed by 30 of Bowie. It was huge.

This being said, HD hockey is going to bring me back into the sport. The clarity of the picture makes all the difference in the world. The biggest issue with hockey? The puck is so small, it goes so fast, and things happen around the feet so much that it's easy to miss major happenings. In standard def. HD makes all the difference.

So from here on out, expect more hockey posting. Especially since college basketball is terrible this year.

I mean the Vols are playing well, up until the other night but other than a personal level, we can analyze the season very quickly. First, Hansborough is the man. Second, UNC will win it all. Third, all of the most exciting players are freshman and won't be around next year. Fourth, none of them are as exciting as Kevin Durant, so it's even more terrible. Fifth, Kansas won't win it all. Questions? Comments? Didn't think so.

So look for more hockey, even with Crosby out.

He's Back! But Only at No Owens.

We are 22 days into the new year, and sadly enough it is only the first time we've gotten a shot at the man atop the No Owens hit list. Let's recap the stars of the list:

5. Tom Brady
4. Michelle Wie
3. Brady Quinn
2. Michelle Kwan

And number one, the most awful person in the history of the world of professional sports and games: Phil Mickelson.

Most of you probably didn't think the golf season was under way. I mean, Tiger hasn't played yet, nor has Phil. Vijay was an answer on Jeopardy! yesterday. But it seems there's a chance that we won't see Phil this week either.

Mickelson has been told to stay in bed for two days at the order of his doctor. His symptoms? Respiratory problem.

Respiratory issues sound pretty rough, right? I mean, "Respiratory" usually means something pretty serious. You're lungs tend to be important.

Phil, however, has been suffering from heavy congestion, shortness of breath and fatigue since...October. That's not a respiratory issue, that's called being fat. So basically, all that time off that Phil needed last year that we slammed him for last year was well needed as he's too out of shape to walk a few miles four days a week and swing a stick 70 times or less. Apparently, golf is a sport that requires endurance and physical conditioning. You know, because that season was taking such a toll on Phil, you'd think maybe he would take some time to get himself into better shape to play more events?

Yesterday all the stir was on TheDanian Tomlinson and how he was being soft for not playing but three plays or whatever in Sunday's AFC Title game. First of all, anyone who could have been out there, would have. LT had to be in a whole lot of pain not to play. But if you got on LT yesterday, how can you not get on the biggest (apparently now) contender to Tiger Woods for having issues of breathing and not doing anything about it for what is now a fourth month?

What is Phil doing? His job is to play golf. He's had this issue since October. Maybe it is more severe than being fat and out of shape. I hope for Phil's sake it isn't, but until we are proven otherwise, that's going to be the official stance taken at No Owens. He's a baby. One huge (literally apparently) baby. Get out there and walk and swing. If you can't do that, if you can't get out there and play a game that any of us would love to do for a living, then get out of there. This man is a disgrace to the world of sports.

Few Things

First of all. Last week I wrote about tennis, and when I did, I made reference to Rod Laver being American. I did this to see if anyone knew that he wasn't. There are two ways of looking at this: first that you don't know your tennis history and two, that you aren't anyone and no one is reading this. If that's the case, well, don't tell me.

Yesterday was awful. Aside from the fact that my shower drain was clogged when I moved into my condo, and is still clogged right now, well believe me when I tell you, that's enough. The Packers thing was pretty bad though.

It'd be one thing if they played well. They didn't. I mean, is the Giants front seven really that good? I mean, if it is, I don't know what to tell you. The Packers had, I don't want to find the numbers because it will make me vomit, but terrible rushing stats. Awful. But they abandoned it late in the game, which I still don't think was the right play.

The Giants out-coached the Packers. They were ready to play, they knew everything the Packers were going to do on offense, and they were more fired up. Frankly, it wasn't tough to figure out what the Giants were doing on offense. Curl, fade, curl, fade, outside zone, curl, fade...it wasn't complicated. Al Harris played so bad that Walt Harris would have looked good last night.

I don't really have much for you today other than rambling about why I'm so mad about a number of topics and this isn't The View, so I'll spare you. Also, I apologize for the lack of posting last week. We will do better this week.

Welcome to Australia!

I have a number of ways to go this morning. I can go with the "Blade Runner" story. I can go on baseball. I can go on the Packers lack of respect. I could probably talk about Phil Mickelson.

No my friends. Today, we talk tennis. It is back, the most worthless major championship in any sport according to our hemisphere, the Australian Open. Worthless? Because no one really considers anything to be "major" about Australia first of all. Also because we don't get to see much of it, given the hemisphere issue.

But what is there to expect from the highlights on Sportscenter? Well, Roger Federer will most likely dominate winning his 47th Australian Open in a row. Justine Henin will most likely make the final against one of the linebackers AKA the Williams sisters. The 'backers have this knack for getting hurt, then coming back big (sound like performance enhancement anyone?). So we know what's going to happen basically, right?

Let me tell you what isn't going to happen. The US won the Davis Cup in 2007. Yes! But guess what, that isn't an immediate translation into personal success on the grand scale. Why? In defeating the #1 seeded Russians, the two highest ranked singles players were ranked 43rd and 57th, respectively for the ex-Soviets. Congratulations to Andy Roddick and James Blake, you beat guys that no one knows exist.

America is just not putting out talented men's tennis players. Why? Because kids don't want to play tennis. They want to play football or baseball or basketball. Tennis is a game that you can play leisurely for the rest of your life, whereas you only have so many years to play in the major sports. But hasn't this always been the case? It's not like football didn't exist when Agassi and Sampras came up, or Courier, McEnroe, Connors and even Laver. Do I need to keep going?

Roddick isn't good enough to beat the big guns. The distance between Federer and Nadal is so great, it's almost pointless to have the grand slams last for weeks anyway, other than Nadal isn't the best on the hard court. Roddick may be in that second tier, maybe, but it really is going to take injury for Roddick to beat those guys. He just isn't good enough. You saw what Federer did to Roddick in the US Open final. You saw how humbled the unnecessarily cocky Roddick could be.

And then there's my boy James Blake. James Blake is the Texas Tech of tennis. You know how Texas Tech always has a decent ranking, they look good, then they get destroyed when they have to play opponents that are actually good at football? That's what James Blake does. He's supposed to be good, but is on the tier below Roddick, which gets him absolutely no where in terms of becoming in the elite class of professional tennis players.

Roddick and Blake are ranked 6th and 15th in the world. After that you have to go all the way down to Mardy Fish at 43, Sam Querrey at 62 and Donald Young at 98 to find the rest of the Americans in the top 100. The sad thing? None of these guys, except maybe Young, really have any shot at doing anything great in the future. And the only reason we really have heard about Young's potential greatness is because, there is no one else!

American men's tennis is going down the tube. The sad thing is, there's no one to save it whatsoever. Not even Jimmy Connors, and he's trying. Once Roddick begins his fall, there is going to be no one there to carry the torch as a top 10 player from the US. Sampras could probably come back and beat Roddick anyway. But the bottom line is that the McEnroes of the world, well, the McEnroe of the world (no one really cares about Pat) are really going to have themselves planted in US tennis history. Why? Because if nothing changes in the near future, they will pretty much be all we have to remember.

Observing the NFL

There are many people out there, sometimes including myself, who get bored with the NFL. We love our teams and watch them passionately. But the rest of the time, there just seems to be a lack fun in watching games. No excitement and a lot of redundancy.

This past weekend, I loved watching every single game. Where to begin?

Well, let's start with the Patriots. They looked good. They are a big deal without a doubt. But they certainly could have lost that game. They were two Dennis Northcutt drops away from being spectators this week, and no one really wants to admit it. The Patriots defense played exceptionally against the bruising offense of the Jaguars, but it was David Gerrard and the passing game that did the most damage against the Pats.

What should be scary for everyone is that Lawrence Maroney really got it going and was running hard when he got his carries. Balance looked impressive for the Pats and their offense did look good. The match up this week with the Chargers is really going to be interesting. The Chargers have athletic DB's, one of which who in my opinion got hosed on that INT return. You know who he is.

Before we get into the Chargers, I have to make a point. Something needs to be done about Rodney Harrison. Every time I watch a Pats game, Harrison gets flagged at least once for a late hit. How come Roy Williams gets suspended for horse collaring, while the play is still going on mind you, but Harrison gets nothing for consistently hitting people out of bounds. I know I sit here and make fun of people who complain about getting hit too hard, but there's certainly a difference between what is legal and what isn't, by the rules of the game. Rodney Harrison is a solid player who does great things on the field, but someone needs to give him some of his if the league won't. Oh, and then he complains about it. I really just don't particularly care for that individual.

What more can you say about the Chargers. Their defense stepped up. Their offense stepped up with a hobbled Antonio Gates and a sidelined LT/Phil Rivers. This is a good team playing exceptionally well right now, all things considered. If they can get healthy, they have the ability to keep the Pats on their toes. I don't think the Pats will lose to the Chargers, but it is a very interesting match up. You can't say enough about Billy Volek, Michael Turner, and yes, K-State's very own Darren Sproles for stepping up on the biggest stage. Congrats to the Chargers.

You know the title of the Blog yes? Alright, well, I love to see people cry for no reason. Enough said.

As for the rest of the Cowboys. I mean, I don't know how else to say this other than the following; Yesterday, they got beat by a superior team. The Giants played better in every way, shape, and form of football yesterday. It was lucky that the Cowboys in fact stayed in the game. The Giants...LOOKED GOOD. I mean, I would love to say more and go into specifics on this game, but I really can't. I really don't have anything else except the Cowboys right now aren't as good as the Giants. They Cowboys peaked early. The Giants are peaking late. Questions? Oh, I have one question for you. Is Jessica Simpson into sweet gold chains? Tony, button your shirt, dude.

Finally, the most impressive game of the weekend is without question the Packers win. With what, 56 minutes left in the game, give or take, the Packers had spotted the Seahawks a pair of turnovers and a pair of touchdowns. After that second touchdown, the Packers put up 42-6 mark. 201 rushing yards from Ryan Grant, Atari Bigby going "Defender" style on anything that breathes, and that guy Favre simply showing you that if you think there has ever been a greater football player, you are just flat out mistaken.

A lot of talk on the radio today is about two topics: one is that the marquis match ups (Pack/Giants, Pats/Manning, we refer to this as Manning because without Manningnation, the Colts don't get the absurd calls they get) and the other is that the Pats have to breathing a sigh of relief that their two biggest hurdles are gone. Both of those comments can be thrown out completely. If the Cowboys/Colts were the biggest challenge to the Pats, THEY WOULD BE STILL ALIVE! And that goes the same way about the 1/2 seed match ups. If they should have been in the championship game, they would have gotten there. We've talked all year about teams that peak at the right time. The Packers have been climbing since they went on their run at the end of the year last year and we haven't seen them do anything but continue to climb. The Giants are getting it together at the right time, as well as the Chargers.

And if I'm the Pats, I really don't like what the Packers are doing. I'm not trying to be bias, but those points and that lack of yardage. I didn't want the Colts to make it to the dance because I like the Packers match up a lot more with the Pats than I do with the Colts. Bottom line, it was a GREAT weekend of football, unfortunately next weekend shouldn't be as good. Favre, Brady Super Bowl. Imagine if Bledsoe would never have gotten hurt. Yeah, you feel me.

Thank You SI!

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/0712/cfb.best.player.numbers.1to33/content.15.html

Changing the Face

We haven't had a post with depth in a while. In fact, it hasn't really been a long, long while. But yesterday I came across something pretty interesting.

As some of you know, Erik Ainge's girlfriend is a good friend of mine. She worked on a student government campaign with me in college and though she didn't win, we did our best to get her elected. We were waiting for someone to show up and somehow it came up that she had Eli Manning's cell phone number. I of course said, notta chance. I was proven to be wrong when she dialed the number and we got his voicemail. Turns out that she got to meet all of the Mannings with Erik being part of that whole Cutcliffe quarterbacks deal.

These cell phones are changing the way of the world of sports. If Rachel had these numbers, I would believe that Erik had them too. You always hear that so and so and so and so talk once a week, or text each other when things aren't going well or they just get a hold of themselves to talk about the season. You think any of this would happen if you weren't walking around with a phone in your pocket?

I was listening to Jim Rome yesterday, as I do just about everyday and this whole cell phone thing became even more interesting. First, Rome had Donald Driver on. Driver, isn't the sharpest sword produced by Hattori Hanzo, but he gave a good interview and you can really tell that his personal motivation to be as great as he can be is what makes him so fearless on Sundays. Driver, like most of the athletes who give interviews on Rome's show, are in their locker rooms as you can hear the commotion in the background.

Think about it though, ESPN has how many "hotlines?" They are always getting people calling in to give their input, none of which would be available without a cell phone. I mean, could you get Buster Olney followed by Mort on land lines? Didn't think so.

I want to get back to players talking to players yesterday. The big and most impressive interview of Rome's yesterday was with Chris Paul. Paul is turning into the best point guard in the NBA. Aside from the fact that you could hear his boys in the background, what got me was his comments about Deron Williams.

For those of you who don't know, Paul and Williams were the first two point guards taken in their draft year from Wake Forest and Illinois, respectively. Paul is a shiftier, quicker type player who might mirror more of a Steve Nash or a Tony Parker, where as Williams looks a little more like a young Chauncey Billups before he learned how to score. The point was that they both know that they will always be compared throughout the course of their careers, but that again, they talk every week. They share comments and advice with each other and have a respective competition between each other. They want to push each other to be better seeing as one gets better, the other needs to take a step to match up or take it to the next level.

Would this level of competition be available without the cell phone? Without instant access to human beings through a celluar call or text message? I don't think so. The cell phone has lifted the competition level in pro sports. How? Because it has made competition personal. Athletes can talk to each other and through a mutal respect, they force themselves to be better. And knowing that they will have to talk about it with their new friends puts an added incentive on it.

You think the cell phone changed everything for you. It did. Aside from the fact that it made you accessible at all times, it is helping elevate your sporting world.

Expect the Unexpected

We haven't talked a whole lot about the NFL in recent weeks. Mainly because it hasn't really mattered all things considered and most of you don't just want to listen to me talk about the Packers constantly. Others do, but that's neither here nor there.

But this weekend in the NFL presents some of the most interesting match ups in recent playoff history. Why you ask?

Let's start in Green Bay. First off, Mike Holmgren won me a Super Bowl. He lost me another. When Mike Holmgren signed with Seattle for the GM/Coaching job but remained with the Packers to coach the Super Bowl, he allowed for the line, "This one's for John" to be spoken. Holmgren sold us out.

We all have a respect for Holmgren for what he did for our team. That's great. That doesn't mean I have to like him. I love playing Holmgren in the playoffs, especially when we have a better team than him, and we're playing at home. It just makes me feel good. Favre brings it against Holmgren like he does against no one else.

Seattle, for a team that isn't really all that great, peaked early. They peaked in about week 15 and haven't looked that great since. Though Matt Hasselbeck will be trying to make amends for his, "We want the ball, we're going to score" comment that quickly turned into an Al Harris pick six, the Packers defense is good enough to make enough plays to force Seattle to be one dimensional and do nothing but eight yard outs.

The other NFC game is huge as well. The Cowboys are the favorites but thanks to Tony Romo's need for the spotlight and star power, focus is on them for the wrong reasons. Do I think Romo going to Cabo with Jessica is a big deal? Not at all, but it's different when you are the Cowboys quarterback and you feel the need to date one of the most famous people in the world. You will draw attention to yourself. No one needs that. PS, Carrie Underwood is a bigger deal than Jessica anyway.

What's most important though is how hard it is to beat a professional team three times in one year. I know that's a cliche, but it's a big deal when you think about it, some teams are bad and others worse, but they are all still professional athletes. This is what makes anything possible. The difference between the best and worst teams in the NFL is incredibly tighter than that of even the #1 and team in college and team that made a December 26th bowl game. The Giants are playing well at the right time and even though I still don't think the Giants are that good, I just think the laws of percentages are on their side. I like the Giants, their pass rush, and Tony Romo's finger. The Giants going to Lambeau? I love my chances.

I like Indy over San Diego, but at the same time I wouldn't be surprised if the Chargers won the ballgame. Why you ask? Well first, LT is a guy who can win a game by himself so whenever he's on the field, the Chargers have a chance at winning. Second, Philip Rivers has been playing well recently, just like Eli. Rivers has been running the offense well, but most importantly he has been throwing with great accuracy and has looked great on play action. I think Indy, not New England, is the team to beat in the AFC and they have been all year long, regardless of how many losses the Pats don't have. Marvin Harrison is...playing this week? I know since he's a veteran, he is expected to not miss a step, but he really hasn't played in how long? I like the Colts, but I don't expect the to struggle, I expect them to get played tough.

The Jaguars are going to beat the Patriots. I'm not just saying that because I am anti-Brady. I'm saying it because they don't match up well against the Jags. Granted, no one really matches up well against Boston, but I believe the difference is as follows: Jack del Rio isn't saying, how are we going to adjust to the Pats, he's going to say, they better adjust to us. The Jags defense is nasty, and they will play nasty. They have probably the best interior play of anyone in the NFL and they can get pressure rushing four. But del Rio's attitude of making the Pats adjust to them is something that we saw from Baltimore, whose defense isn't as good as Jacksonville's and whose offense isn't as good as Jacksonville's. Also, Jacksonville has two great running backs, whereas in the Baltimore game, when Willis McGahee had to take a play off, the offense went dead.

Belicheck is going to study the Raven tape and find out everything he needs to know as to how to scheme up against the Jags. But with an overrated linebacking unit in Boston, I see the Jags wearing them down late in the game. We've seen waht David Gerrard can do with the game on the line and coming off an emotional win on the road, look for Jacksonville to pull off the upset. Mercury Morris is their biggest fan this weekend.

Keeping up with Brady Quinn

We haven't talked about my boy AJ Hawk's brother in law in a while. You know why? Everyone outside of EAS has forgotten about him. Everyone outside of EAS and No Owens.

Quinn, the quarterbacking savior to Cleveland was 3-8 on the season for 45 yards.

That's fine. It really is. There is the school of, sit your quarterback for a few years even until he knows the system, and then go from there. Look at how Aaron Rodgers played when Favre went down against Dallas without gel in his hair. Rodgers looked legit.

Rodgers and Quinn are almost two of a kind. Both guys were potential #1 picks in the NFL Draft and fell into the 20s. I for one was unhappy when the Packers put the future of the organization in his hands. Now, look at that moustache. I'm fairly content with that thing.

Quinn got his dream job. So it seems. Then Derek Anderson happened. Let me tell you something about Anderson. Not only did he throw for 3,787 yards this year and 29 TD's, he's all of 24. He's 24 and he's already a upper level starter in the NFL. Quinn, a rookie, is 23. Apparently he failed 2nd grade, or his parents wanted to make sure he did extra squats before entering his first year of kindergarten.

So where does this leave the Browns? They have a solid prospect in Quinn who is a year younger than their current great starter in Anderson. I don't know about you, but if I'm the Browns, I have a pretty solid thing going right now on offense, with a bunch of young guys. Do you want to kick a proven Anderson to the curb for an untested Quinn in the next couple years? I wouldn't. And not just because I despise Quinn. I'd still want the best player possible and in the NFL this year, there were only a handful of signal callers better than Anderson anyhow.

So again, we have a falling Brady Quinn. What's funny is he was wanting top five money at signing. Now when he comes up for a new contract, what's he going to get. Backup money? I think that's what backups get.

I can't tell you how much I love this. Quinn thought he was so lucky getting the Browns to pick him up. His luck ran out when he played LSU in the Sugar Bowl. We will see what happens as Anderson is becoming a restricted free agent. The Quinn controversy continues to humor me and I hope it just continues. I still think back to his mom's interview and her accidentally saying the he wanted to come back to win the Heisman. Well, now he's in line with the Browns just where he was with Heisman voters. Second.

So it Got Ugly...

Did you really think that Ohio State had a shot?

Really?

How many people out there were scared when Beanie Wells broke off that 65 yard run at the start of the game? That is I think the worst thing that happened to Ohio State. Last year, recall, Ted Ginn, Jr. ran the opening kick back for the six. I think Florida scored 41straight before Ohio State scored again.

This year they went up 10-0 before LSU rattled off 31 straight. I mean, first the #1 defense in the country, or so they were ranked because they didn't play a ranked team all season, isn't supposed to give up 31 to anyone. 31 straight is just straight nasty. That's pretty much the best way to guarantee a win...score 31 straight.

Glenn Dorsey is so good is terrifying. How many times was his name called? A few. But at the same time, he was taking on double teams and moving them around. Those plays stopped int he backfield were caused by Dorsey occupying Buckeye lineman and moving them by himself. That being said, I will say that Ohio State's right guard, #71 maybe, had some good plays where he stopped Dorsey by himself. That kid is going to be a good prospect.

I can sit here and bash Ohio State all day. You know I can. I can even go to the lengths of Jim Tressell is 0-3 in BCS Title games (No Owens recognizes Miami as the 2002 champions. There should be a time limit on terrible calls...5 seconds is far too long.) But what I will say is that LSU is in fact the best team in the country right now. They proved it. They manhandled Ohio State in a way that only they could. They have the best players, coaches and plans of any team around. They are the premier program in college football and they proved it last night, convincingly.

I don't really know what else to say about it. I mean, do I need to stand on my soap box and yell about the SEC having the top two teams in the nation? And that the top 10 next year will probably include LSU, Georgia, Florida and Tennessee? I mean, the Big 10 can pretty much just go home.

You know who's going home? June Jones. June Jones is headed to the mainland...I know many consider Texas the mainland, but anyway, to SMU. So, Baylor, SMU and Duke have all made major moves throwing lots of money at major coaches. Do these programs really think they can win? Look at the final AP poll. Look at the top teams. It's no surprise. What is June Jones going to do for SMU? What conference are they in? What's Cut going to do at Duke? Even if he gets something going, he still plays in the ACC. He still has to deal with the likes of Miami, Florida State, and Virginia Tech. Seriously.

All in all, the season is over. Which is terrible. But now we can focus on the other sports that really don't mean near as much. Sad.

Facts Proven

Health, health and more health. It was in fact the key to West Virginia's show stopping performance last night.

No Owens reported a few months ago that West Virginia is in fact undefeated when Pat White finishes games and winless this season when he doesn't.

There is no doubt, given that information and what West Virginia did to Oklahoma last night that Pat White is the most valuable player in the country. We all know OU can't play in the Fiesta. But you have to assume that Bob Stoops believes if he gets 28 points, he's going to win given his defense.

Pat White is better than that. Was Oklahoma confused on the pass plays? Without a doubt. Why? White's ability to make plays in space of course!

The spread option that WV plays is different than that of Urban Meyer's. Meyer's creates space for his receivers where was the WV spread creates space for the quarterback. Honoring the quarterback in turn, creates holes for the receivers. Concept is simple really, but how it is done is pretty complex.

Look at the majority of White's throws. They are down the field close to and past the first down marker. For comparison's sake, look at Tebow...drags and benches primarily. The announcers last night were talking about...first let me say that as much as I don't care for the way ESPN does things, FOX's coverage of CFB is ridiculous. Their announcers really aren't very good and they take as many commercial breaks as NBC should when Anne Curry is on the screen. Anyway, the announcers said that WV couldn't come back, they weren't a come from behind team. You know why? The only time they've ever had to come from behind was when White was on the sidelines! And if he wasn't, something tells me, they can score in a hurry! Ask Bob Stoops!

Before I turned it off last night, those same, genius, announcers were talking about how OU would be a top five team to start the season next year. And why wouldn't WV be? Because Noel Devine is just as good as Slaton and Pat White's coming back? And they just destroyed OU but OU would be ranked ahead of them? Make sense? Didn't think so.

Pretty soon everyone is going to have to give West Virginia the same treatment that these guys were giving Oklahoma last night. The, "They're Oklahoma, so they will be ranked higher" treatment. I was wrong about last night, and so too were most people. But West Virginia is for real, and they aren't going anywhere anytime soon.

New Year's Observations

For many of us, New Year's is the best holiday of the year. Some people are into the Eve parties and so forth, the ball dropping, and Dick Clark, who by the way, doesn't really have it anymore to the point that I really feel bad for him.

Christmas comes again on New Year's Day. A day full of college football. Lovely.

Luckily for us, this year was full of great games. Regardless if you have any allegiance to Tennessee, Wisconsin, Florida, Michigan, Texas Tech, or Virginia, you without a doubt had reasons to watch these games...they came down to the wire.

Then there was Illinois, Arkansas and Hawaii.

I made many keen observations yesterday, so here the best ones in no particular order.

1. The Big Ten is soft. This is nothing new. Set Michigan aside because we are going to get to the shortly, but the Big Ten is an absolute joke. I didn't give the Vols much of a chance against Wisconsin. We were missing three of our best players and we traditionally don't play well in bowl games, especially after we should have been in a BCS game. Then I watched Wisconsin's entire team complain about a "cheap shot" on their quarterback.

Tyler Donovan dove into the endzone to even the score at seven. Dove, key word. Eric Berry about broke Donovan's neck with his helmet...well, by breathing really, but his neck snapped around in every way. Donovan laid there before eventually going back in and getting kicked around some more.

Their linemen were talking about it being a "cheap shot." If you're a quarterback, and you lead with your head, you're going to get hit hard. That's how the game is played. Everyone talks about the speed in the SEC and how it consumes the Big Ten. I think it's about being physical. Michigan was complaining about the same things as Wisconsin. If you want to play soccer, go play soccer. Football is a violent game where you wear pads to protect yourselves. It's a nasty game. If you can't get nasty, play soccer. If you don't want your players to get injured or hit to hard, play soccer. That Donovan kid is a tough kid. His coach isn't. You think UT was bad? Wait until you see what those guys on the LSU defense throw on the field. They are straight nasty. Call up the bodybags.

2. Health is without a doubt the most important factor in college football. I gave Michigan no chance whatsoever of beating Florida. I thought Florida was going to absolutely wipe the floor with Michigan. I was wrong. I said it, quote me. I was wrong.

Chad Henne is a better pro prospect than Tom Brady ever was. Mike Hart talks a whole lot about how he has to put his team on his back and so forth. I think Mike Hart talks a lot bigger game than he has, but he still played well. Their receivers looked like pro prospects. Michigan clicked for the first time really all season. Why? They were healthy for the first time all season.

The layoff allows teams to get back together, as I have stated before. This was Michigan's one game to be ready to go, and they brought it strong. USC hasn't really been healthy either. They get a lay off and...they lead the Pasadena Death March against Illinois. LSU hasn't been healthy since they did things so bad that they can't be described to Virginia Tech. I mean, any questions?

3. Tim Tebow is not the best player in the nation. I've been saying this for a while. Who is? Not sure, but if you didn't listen to me then, listen now. HE ISN'T THE BEST PLAYER ON HIS OWN TEAM. Percy Harvin is the most special talent I have seen in a while. He literally has another gear he goes to and he does it so smoothly. If you want to know where Tebow's passing yards come from, it's from Harvin averaging something ridiculous per touch, most of it after the catch. If you think otherwise, then you are just mistaken.

4. Your playoff system wouldn't work this year. Yeah, we've talked about you before, you who have your own concept for a playoff. I'm going to tell you why it wouldn't work. Unless it was a 64 team tournament like basketball, you wouldn't have had unranked Michigan in your system. Let me tell you that the Michigan team that played yesterday would have beaten most teams in the nation. So, that being said, your system would have been flawed.

5. I feel so bad for Hawaii. I mean, I really thought they were going to win that game. I thought they were going to be able to spread out Georgia and use their speed. Well, I was wrong.

Their line simply wasn't good enough to play with Georgia's front seven. It was sad. I mean, I turned the game off after the 3rd, but Colt Brennan just didn't have the time to throw anything other than a shovel pass or a slip screen. Hawaii just isn't good enough to play with the big guns. It's that simple. They can't compete on an athlete to athlete basis, and linemen at that level are athletes. They played hard and I give them all the credit in the world, but what Georgia did to them is going to absolutely destroy the notion of a non-BCS conference making a BCS game. The BCS was correct on that one. Missouri played in the Cotton Bowl...think about that for a second.

6. Georgia fans were wearing shirts about how they got hosed in the BCS.

You know, maybe if you wouldn't have been down 28-0 at half in Knoxville this year, you would have had a shot at the title.

That being said, you better be scared for next year. Georgia is going to be one nasty team.

Many Apologies

I greatly apologize for the lack of posting this week. As I will be out of town until January 2nd, I have had an uncessarily busy schedule. Shortly there after, there will be a post dedicated to Rusty on American Tennis and its decline.

Until then, Happy Holidays!

Awful

How awful is the sporting world right now?

With nothing really to go on, be ready for a requested and long awaited post tomorrow.

Les Miles Wasn't Lying

About a year ago, rumors were spreading that Rich Rodriguez was leaving West Virginia to take the head coaching job at Alabama. Today, Rodriguez is the coach at the University of Michigan, leaving his home of West Virginia and declining to coach them in their bowl game.

Rodriguez is a good fit for Michigan. He's a cold weather, running coach who constantly wears wind-breakers. He brings a certian intensity that Michigan needs, and a sort of youth that was definetly missing for the past few years.

West Virginia, who right now has more going for them than Michigan, is the latest program to join the, "What are we going to do now?" list. It's funny because Pat White should be coming back as he isn't really a great pro prospect. Their amazing freshman running back Noel Devine will be joining him in the backfield. There might be a big time coach looking at where West Virginia is now, and were they could be one year from right now with one of the most prolific offenses in recent history. If Slaton comes back, wow. There is more talent on that offensive unit than anywhere, even Florida. In college, having players on the field that can take it the distance on any given play is probably the biggest advantage any team can have. WEst Virginia is losing two starters on offense, one of which is the most underrated receiver in college, that #2 character Reynaud. Rodriguez sees the Michigan job as an opportunity of a lifetime, but whoever takes the West Virginia job has a shot at the opportunity of a lifetime as well; to win a national championship.

But, what does this mean? In terms of strength of program:
LSU>Michigan>Alabama>West Virginia. Or is it?

First, Alabama fans aren't the best around. Second, they sold out their Spring Game when Nick Saban was hired. Third, the coach they really wanted turned them down and went to Michigan. So Alabama fans are basically looking at themselves in the mirror today thinking...our first choice for a head coach chose Michigan over Alabama. Alabama's program isn't as good as Michigan. Or is it?

http://westvirginia.rivals.com/default.asp

Roll that.

The Conclusion: Greatest Players in College Football Since 1993, 10-1

Sick of hearing about the Mitchell nonsense? Good, you came to the right place. Yesterday we had the beginning of the No Owens Top 20 Since 1993...11-20 in no particular order. Today, we rank the top 10. Let's begin.

10. Orlando Pace - Offensive Tackle, Ohio State
We will get into Pace's resume in a second, but what he did for his position can't go unnoticed. Pace was the first rock star figure to play offensive line since the Tony Mandarich debacle. On the field, Pace was arguably the most dominant lineman of all time in college football. He was so dominant that he allowed Eddie George to somehow win a Heisman Trophy while not allowing a sack in his final two years at Ohio State. Did I mention that Pace left his collegiate career with two Lombardi Awards and an Outland?

9. Peter Warrick - Wide Receiver, Florida State
We have talked about Percy Harvin this year and how he is in fact the best player at Florida, but doesn't get the credit for it. Warrick was the last "athlete" type player to be recognized as the best player in the country. Now, the Dillard's incident cost Warrick the Heisman, but after his performance in the National Title game, there was no question that Warrick was in fact the nation's best player and without a doubt the biggest game changer. Warrick was also one of the first non-quarterbacks to line up at quarterback to take a snap. His versatility saw him throw, run, and return for touchdowns, all while being a legit receiver with great hands, running great routes.

8. Matt Leinart - Quarterback, USC
One can't argue with Leinart's record. The guy lost two games as starter. You can rag on the Pac-10 all you want, but either way you look at it, this guy did things few others did in terms of being a leader. Leinart finished his career at USC with more touchdowns than any other quarterback and trails only Carson Palmer in yards. He won a Heisman, two AP National Titles and a BCS Championship by destroying Oklahoma. Leinart was surrounded by big-time names, but Leinart could get the ball to all of them. He was probably the best game manager I have ever seen at the college level, and that is one strong compliment you can give a quarterback. Leinart will also have mystique...we will always remember his touchdown catch against Michigan in the Rose Bowl and of course, the Bush Push.

7. Charles Woodson - Cornerback, Michigan
Woodson has one impressive resume. He started in his second game as a Wolverine and played in 34 straight. AP defensive player of the year his sophomore year. Heisman and a potential National Title his junior and final season (note: there is still once second left on the clock in that Rose Bowl and Ryan Leaf could very well still throw a touchdown pass). Becoming the first defensive player to win the Heisman is one of the great personal achievements in football. His versatility was unmatched by anyone in college football, just ask David Boston, and then the Ohio State secondary, and then the Ohio State special teams units. Woodson could shut down an opponents best player but had that ability that only Deion had to bait people into throwing the ball his way and make spectacular plays on the ball. His one-handed interception on the sideline against Michigan State? Unreal.

6. Charlie Ward - Quarterback, Florida State.
Before Ward, there were running quarterbacks and there were passing quarterbacks. Ward was one of the first to be both. Ward has really set the tone for what the modern day quarterback is, not only just a guy with a rocket arm and can read defenses, but a guy who is in fact the best athlete on the field as well. What people forget is that a big-time recruit from Louisiana, freshman Warrick Dunn, suffered the loss of his mother in the line of duty as a police officer. Ward played a brotherly role to Dunn and I think he turned out alright. Ward had arguably the most decorated senior year of all time. Ready? Heisman, Unitas, Sullivan, Camp, Maxwell, and O'Brien awards. Throw National Champion on top of that. His moment? Leading the Noles all the way back against the Gators? Remember that one?

5. Reggie Bush - Running Back, USC
There isn't much that anyone needs to say about Reggie Bush. He has all of the accolades to be one of the best players ever. Unfortunately, he is in some pretty tough company here. Bush has the stats, the record, the records, and the moments that we will never forget. That move against Fresno State? Yeah. Why does Bush slip down so far? That little lateral he tried that cost him the last game he ever played in college.

4. Randy Moss - Wide Receiver, Marshall
Moss had quite the career before ever setting foot on the field, going from Notre Dame to Florida State (where he ran a 4.25 40, second only to Deion) and then finally ending up at I-AA Marshall. At Marshall, he was beyond dominant. His Senior year after Marshall was moved to Division 1, Moss caught 96 balls for 1,820 yards and 26 touchdowns. Those are the real numbers, I didn't make that up. How he went about it is another story...blowing past DB's, hurdling players, and making all the one handed catches you would ever need. Also, Moss is the only player on this list to have an award named for him. The Randy Moss Award goes to the nation's best return man, as during Moss' junior season at Marshall he averaged 34.6 yard per return.

3. Ricky Williams - Running Back, Texas
Ricky Williams was the best running back I have ever seen play college football. I don't know if we will ever see a guy run with such speed and such power. He was really a man among boys. He holds or at one time held just about every major record a running back could hold, all while i think changing his number at least three times while he was at Texas. Williams definitive moment? When he only needed something like three yards to break the all time rushing record, squared up a backer and broke it 30 yards or something like that diving into the endzone for the six. Easily one of the greatest runs of all time.

2. Vince Young - Quarterback, Texas
The interesting thing about #'s one and two are that they both finished second in the Heisman balloting. I can't explain why. Neither can Vince Young. Young is the closest thing I have ever seen to Michael Jordan. Young had the ability to put his team on his back in the most clutch of all situations, as documented clearly with his win over USC in what was, all things considered, the greatest college football game ever. What people often forget about Young is his performance in the Rose Bowl the year before that, leading Texas to a one point win over Michigan scoring 17 points in the final quarter. How many rushing touchdowns in that game? Yeah.

1. Tommie Frazier - Quarterback, Nebraska
Four year starter. Three "National Title" games. Two national titles. Frazier was the quarterback and focal point of the greatest team in college football history. We talked about Charlie Ward earlier, but what people don't understand remember is that Nebraska had a shot at a game winning field goal with seconds left to play...who got them there? A sophomore named Frazier. In that game, despite the loss, Frazier was named the game's most valuable player, as he was the next two years in the Orange Bowl and Fiesta Bowl. College football's definitive play is the option. It can be said that no one has ever run it as well as Tommie Frazier. Known mostly for his running skills, he was a decent passer, but excelled as a passer with the game on the line. While sharing the backfield with the likes of Lawrence Phillips and Ahman Green, Frazier still was the most outstanding of the ball carriers and imagine what his stats would have been without two great backs behind him. His punishing 75 yard touchdown run breaking an unknown amount of tackles will always go down as one of the greatest runs ever. His most impressive numbers? Back to Back National Titles, and his junior year and senior years? 25-0.

Mitchell Report: One Time Only

I wasted my time listening to George Mitchell's press conference. Basically, he got up there and talked about absolutely nothing. Nothing at least that we didn't know about. Really George, there's a steroid problem in baseball?? Really??? There needs to be testing?? Really?? THANKS!

Then I read the report and there is some legitimacy to it. Why? Because two of the names that I was told about 5-6 years ago were featured in the report (see yesterday's post). Other than the names listed, the report was absolutely worthless.

What did the MLB pay for this report, $20 million? They could have given me a million, kept the other 19 and I could have slapped Bud in the head and then written most of the solutions offered in that report.

After listening to Selig's press conference, there is one major question that needs to be asked: how good of a commissioner has Selig been? He has done a lot for baseball as its commissioner. But the steroids issue is what his legacy will be. He knew about what was happening in the 90's and he did nothing about it. I think Mitchell should have recommended that Selig step down, effective immediately.

Finally, Bret Boone is not mentioned in the report. That makes me question all of this. Boone is the ultimate posterboy for performance enhancing drugs and without bringing his name to the table, I question Mitchell and his staff.

This is a terrible day for baseball. It's not because we now just found out about Roger Clemens. But it's the embarrassment and mockery that Selig and Mitchell have made of this investigation. Selig dropped the ball for a decade, and he doesn't care. Mitchell basically told us all what we already knew. These guys are supposed to be helping? I'll believe that when I see it.

The No Owens Top 20 Since 1993

As many of you know, ESPN is doing an ongoing project on the 25 Greatest Players in College Football History. I am a fan of these concepts, I really am. So No Owens decided to put out their version of the list. So here's what we have.

1993 is the magic year. Why? Because I can't tell you how good Jim Brown was. I can't tell you how good Barry Sanders was. At least, not from personal viewing. You have to be able to say you saw someone and remember what they did in order to really give them a solid place and have a strong opinion of their skills. I can't really remember anyone from 1992. I most certainly remember players from 1993, so that is where we start, for accuracy of course.

Players make this list for a number of reasons. First and foremost...they had an ability to change a game by themselves. Just about all of the players listed have a signature moment or moments that you remember from changing a game for the better of their team. Second, you are going to see a great highlight tape of the player's performances. Third, all but one player on this list put his team into national contention with his play and all of the players provided their teams with a way to win big games. Fourth, they had an impact on college football's legacy and that of his team.

This being said, just because a player won a Heisman Trophy, doesn't mean that they make this list. In the opinion of No Owens, most Heisman winners don't represent the best players anyway. Since 1993, you will see five Heisman winners on the list. The bottom ten players will be listed without rankings and the Top 10 till be listed in order tomorrow. Let's go.

Players 11-20

LaVarr Arrington - Linebacker, Penn State.
If you want to talk about a player that can change a game by not doing anything, Arrington is your man. The site of Arrington changed the way offenses played against Penn State's defense. Wearing an uncharacteristic #11, Arrington was one of the originators of the faster linebackers who can pursue the field from side to side. Not to mention the hits he gave out were menacing and game changing.

Ki-Jana Carter - Running Back, Penn State.
Carter was the best running back in the 1994 year. His team was undefeated and #2 in the country at seasons end and much of it was to do with Carter's ability to stretch the field with his running as well as the threat of it.

Pat Fitzgerald - Linebacker, Northwestern.
Northwestern was a team that will always be remembered as making a great run to the 1995 Rose Bowl. Many of us remember the running back Darnel Autry from that team, but Fitzgerald was the captain and two-time Bednarik award winner, of that defense. Not only was he the best defensive player on a team that will be remembered forever, but he has the personal accolades to go along with his team's legacy.

Willis McGahee - Running Back, Miami
McGahee, a converted fullback after the injury to Frank Gore, took over as the starting back for the best team in America. McGahee only had one season as a starter. That's all he needed. Watch his tape and tell me there are many other backs more dynamic than McGahee. McGahee is probably one of the last players to make this list, but after seeing his sheer speed in person, it's tough to leave him off this list.

Julius Peppers - Defensive End, North Carolina.
There's no question that Peppers is the premier defensive end of the time frame. Peppers sheer physical ability and stature made him a dominant force on the line of scrimmage. He was the most exciting player on the field, and he was in a three point stance. His 30.5 sacks goes along with 53 stops behind the line of scrimmage, 167 tackles, five interceptions, two fumble recoveries, five forced fumbles, 13 passes defensed and 42 quarterback pressures (hurries) and returned two interceptions and one fumble recovery for touchdowns, all with offenses scheming against him.

Adrian Peterson - Running Back, Oklahoma
Peterson left after his sophomore year for the NFL, where he is presently flourishing. Peterson also spent a lot of his time at OU nursing injury. Barring all of that he still makes the top 20. Why? Because when he was on the field, there is no question that he was the best player in the country. We talk about two different types of backs: speed and power. Peterson is both and with the time he spent at OU, he changed games by himself. Watch his tapes and tell me otherwise.

Ed Reed/Sean Taylor - Safeties, Miami
Reed and Taylor basically were the exact same player, so they occupy the same spot. Never before have we seen a position defined like what these players did at the U. Not only were they absolute ballhawks but their run support was as good as most linebackers in America. They were the backbones of the best defenses on the best teams for two straight years. What goes unnoticed is the leadership that these guys brought to their teams and that cannot go unnoticed.

Warren Sapp - Defensive Tackle, Miami
Another Hurricane making the list. Are you surprised? Miami for much of the time we are dealing with, was arguably the top program in the nation and they have the record to prove it. Sapp was so dominant on the defensive line that he was a Heisman finalist. Sapp changed the position of defensive tackle to that of not necessarily a big man, but a big athletic man who can make plays all over the line of scrimmage, not just create havoc in front of him. Sapp has been truly instrumental in the revolution of defense and the position of defensive tackle. Players like Vince Wilfork, Shaun Rogers, and Tommie Harris played the college way in almost a mirror of how Sapp laid out for them.

Roy Williams - Safety, Oklahoma.
Williams was another linebacker-like safety. He wasn't the ballhawk that the Miami guys were, but he was a fiercer hitter and a feared blitzer. His ability to make plays on all ends of the field is really what lifted OU to their National Title over Florida State in 2000. Williams was a game changer and we will always remember him for the hit he laid on Chris Simms' after leaping from many feat away causing the fumble in the endzone. That's what we call a classic moment.

Roy Williams - Wide Receiver, Texas.
This Roy Williams was the most under-appreciated receiver of this generation. He has the best highlight tape of anyone not in the top 10 and probably a better one than others. Watching a Texas game, you would see Williams just throwing out his hand to make effortless one handed catches, diving all over the place to make plays, while making guys miss with his moves and running guys over like a running back when he needed to. Don't believe me? Find the highlights.

The Top 10...tomorrow.

What Do YOU Plan On Getting Out Of This?

Tomorrow is most certainly going to be an interesting day in the sporting world. An issue that has been running around baseball at an unbelievable pace is going to come to a head tomorrow when George Mitchell's report on steroids will be released.

Apparently, there are to be somewhere between 60-80 names of players both retired and still playing who have violated Major League Baseball's steroid policy. It was learned that in March of '06 that Bud Selig asked the former Democratic Senate Majority Leader and then Chairman of Walt Disney to head up an investigation to uproot all of the information concerning the steroid problems that had been plaguing baseball for an extended period of time.

What exactly is going to come from this report? I'm going to tell you why that is the question at hand.

First of all let me state that I don't agree with the usage of steroids in baseball. I think it's wrong and if you want to read the best piece about it, it clearly comes from Ryne Sandberg's acceptance speech to the Hall of Fame. However, let me throw this card at your.

There is a "new" policy on the punishment for steroid users and it is the following:

"A first positive test resulted in a suspension of 10 games, a second positive test resulted in a suspension of 30 games, the third positive test resulted in a suspension of 60 games, the fourth positive test resulted in a suspension of one full year, and a fifth positive test resulted in a penalty at the commissioner’s discretion. Players were tested at least once per year, with the chance that several players could be tested many times per year. "

Note, "new" policy. The "old" policy was established in 2002. Let me reemphasize, old. 2002 was the first year that baseball started testing for performance enhancing drugs.

Do you drive over the speed limit? An honest question, don't you think? Let me ask it another way...if you pass a police officer running radar running five MPH over the speed limit, are you going to get pulled over? No? Then why would you slow down if nothing is going to happen to you?

In the 80's and 90's, no players were at risk, professionally, for taking steroids or any other performance enhancing drugs. So like you knowingly driving past that cop at 45 in a 40, these guys weren't going to get in trouble. Throw out the theory that officials in '98 turned their backs for the good of baseball. They weren't doing anything to begin with. Talk to any player in the AL and they will tell you that something was going on with the Oakland A's that wasn't normal. I don't think there is a coincidence that Tony LaRussa was involved with both the A's and McGwire's Cardinals. But, until 2002, the MLB was doing nothing to stop usage. Why would these guys stop?

Don't blame the players about this. Yes, they knowingly broke the rules, but they knew that that knowingly wouldn't get caught. So, why aren't fingers being pointed at those who weren't doing anything about this when the problem became more and more escalated? I understand the public's need for the blame to go to players, but really that isn't the problem.

First of all, let's start blaming people for things they did five years ago. Technically, that is when testing started, much of it was anonymous. Now, there is rumor that some of those names are going to come out, which I don't think can be legal. So, what if in a blood test, Elmer Dessens tested positive for cocaine usage? Is Elmer going to be in as big of trouble as Adrian Beltre?

Here's the other thing. Everyone talks about Sammy and McGwire and Bonds as being the figureheads of steroid usage. Their names may be on this list tomorrow. They are not the figureheads of the steroid era. One man is the figurehead and his name is Bret Boone. If his name is not on this list, then it's hogwash. If they don't have Bret Boone's name on this list, it is pointless. I have a source that in '01 was close to trainers in the MLB as well as the Chicago White Sox staff. I can name one name of a White Sox player and two Cubs who he knows for a fact were juicing. If they aren't on this list, what does this list mean?

You can't fix the past. You can prepare for the future. If you want to point fingers about the steroid usage in baseball over the past 30 years, look to the MLB, not to the players. It's the MLB's fault for not taking a stand against usage. What were their reasons? We probably will never know because officials can hide behind names like McGwire, Sosa and Bonds. But what really is knowing these names going to do? Provide closure? That we now know who these guys were? I've got news for you, if you watch baseball, you know who these guys are. I've been against this report since the start. It's not going to prove anything that is relevant to making the game better tomorrow. It's just going to give ESPN a reason to report on a number of specific people, and you will watch it. I bet you won't watch the Orioles play the Rays on Wednesday night baseball in June though. You probably won't see Jay Gibbons either.

The First Good Thing ESPN Has Done in a While

So on Saturday night, ESPN had this Bowl Mania special. Aside from the fact that Mrs. Noah Brindise, Jessie Palmer, was the figurehead for it, it's a pretty good concept. So good in fact that No Owens has in fact decided to endorse it.

So, click the following link to join the No Owens Group:
http://games.espn.go.com/bowlmania/frontpage

If you need to, search for the group "No Owens," and use the password "noowens" to register your team. Do it.

Into the Weekend...

There are two pretty big stories going into the weekend. Which one to start with.

Frankly, Tim Tebow won the Maxwell Award last night. In the past seven goes around, the winner of the Maxwell Award did not win the Heisman. In my opinion, you can mark that down for an eigth straight year. Why you ask?

Many of the voters for the Heisman are in fact the elder statesmen in the Heisman Fraternity. I don't believe that these guys are going to want a sophomore let into their group. Without a clear cut favorite in the race, I think the Heisman Winners from years past may actually have a strong say in the numbers this year. If Jonathan Hefney can be thrown into an All SEC team after his awful season, I think McFadden can maneuver his way into being the guy who was second last year who wins it by default this year. Keep in mind that the last time there was a back to back Doak Walker winner, he walked away with the Heisman.

The other big story is in Foxboro. Everything that keeps me sane wants to say that the Steelers are going to go in there and beat down on the Patriots.

I can't really go with that though. I think the Patriots are just going to stomp the Steelers. Do you bet? I'd take the Pats and give those 10.5. Give 12. As much as I hate to say it, the Patriots will have it back in gear this week. Much to the dimise of MERC.

This is really the most depressing weekend of the year. Now comes the time when we have to force ourselves to get into college hoops. It's really a hard process too. Last year it was easy because Kevin Durant was on pretty much every Monday. This year we don't have that consensus best player in the country.

Speaking of the one armed man...someone wrote the funniest e-mail to Jim Rome the other day. Rome, who really does a good job on the radio, had John Wooden on. Wooden, 97, was absolutely amazing. Afterwards, the following e-mail came in:

Rome:
97? I hope to sound that good in 17 years.
Greg Oden.

Weighing In On Bad Words

The Ravens should have beaten the Patriots.

The refs did in fact blow that game. Only a head coach can call a timeout from the sidelines. Not the defensive coordinator. Billick didn't call timeout. This is a mistake on behalf of of the officials. Let it be known.

The Gafney catch didn't look good to me, but I don't think that visual evidence "confirmed" the call on the field. I can go with there wasn't any indisputable evidence...but not confirmation.

The holding call. Well, I guess that is a 50/50 call in today's game. 30 years ago, that wouldn't have been a penalty. That just tells you what our game has come to.

This new found "conspiracy" surrounding the NFL's love for the Patriots is amazing. Is it true? Probably not but the arguments are amazing! I love a good conspiracy theory.

Were the refs calling the game in favor of the Patriots? No. I don't think so. Well, not intentionally. Officiating has gone down the toilet in recent years and there is no argument otherwise. What are you going to say, that instant replay has been accurate 99% of the time? There are way too many calls that go to instant replay because officials are too reliant on it.

But remember, officials are now part of the spectacle. It goes back to the NBA in the 90's and Hugh Hollins on the phantom foul becoming a figure after trying to derail the Bulls dynasty and continues today with Ed Hochulee's guns and Michael Caray's lectures on the reasoning for a call. As sports becomes more of entertainment than sporting, the refs want a piece of the action.

So take what happened with Samari Rolle on Friday. And with Bart Scott. Rolle claims that ref was calling him a "boy" after the 4th down play. First of all, I don't buy that was the word that got under Rolle's skin. Equally, Bart Scott was sure yelling at that line judge too...after Scott threw his flag into the stands, which was amazing. I believe that ref said something to those guys that was inappropriate. Was he provoked? Probably. But it is still the refs job to maintain composure and hold order on the field. If he said anything remotely discriminating towards a Ravens player, he should be without a job.

Back to the holding call. Imagine if that call wasn't made. Would this be the conspiracy against the Patriots? Would the NFL all of a sudden be against the Patriots? I mean, we all know the NFL is pro-Pats, especially since ESPN is turning the world anti-'72 Dolphins. But would we have a different take on it had that flag not come out?

Maybe the Pats are a team of destiny. I hate to say this, but they are very comparable to the 2002 Ohio State team that didn't win the National Title but has a trophy to prove otherwise. That year, they got every call possible and every break went their way. Grant, the Patriots didn't need many breaks when they were winning games by 30, but the past two weeks, they have been much luckier than they've been good. Was the holding call on Monday a second coming of the interference call in the endzone on the final play that cost Miami the trophy?

Look. This game the other night was great. This aftermath is unreal. Keep in mind that if the side judge would have known the rules and not allowed a timeout from someone other than a head coach from the sidelines, this wouldn't be an issue. Not the case, and the Pats are still unbeaten. Still, the officiating in football is slipping and it needs to be held accounted for. Get after it Roger.

The BCS and the Stoppage of Talking

Go back and read about it and you will find out that No Owens is not into the BCS. Football is about hitting people in the mouth, not computer averages. That being said, the NFL is proving that the hitting in the mouth concept is going to be a lost art. That holding call in the endzone last night? This isn't soccer. It's too bad that the hard-nosed NFL defensive team isn't going to be able to make it in the league anymore without a finesse offense.

You can't listen to the radio without hearing some idiot fan call in about his solution to the BCS. Some guy talking about "his idea" for a playoff. Let's get this out on the table...there are 3-4 possible playoff concepts. That's it. For those of you who think that your are the one with the best idea ever, everyone has already thought about it so get off you soapbox and go ask your neighbor for some space on his because chances are, you are talking about the exact same thing.

The question comes up all the time of, "Are Ohio State and LSU the best teams in college football right now?" And then there's the, "No, but they are the most deserving teams" business. You're never going to get a complaint out of me that the SEC champion plays for the title. Best conference, best teams, best competition. You win that conference, odds are you should be in. We know how we feel about Ohio State. I think they're frauds playing for an administration that has aspirations of financial prowess and not titles.

People want to say USC is the best team right now, or Georgia. USC lost to Jim Harbaugh, that's enough. Georgia was dismantled by Tennessee, who lost to LSU.

Those are my arguments. Here's my question for you. Everyone talks about strength of schedule and how no one has played anyone, blah blah...but you can say that Georgia is the best team in the nation right now, even though they lost to Tennessee? They you can turn around and say...they play a hard schedule and that's some sort of addition. Are you not following? Good because it doesn't make sense.

If you're going to talk about right now, you can't talk about the strength of teams losses. Especially with Georgia, people talk about how they are a different team now than when they got manhandled by Tennessee. But don't talk about their schedule because if you are talking about "right now," what happened then just didn't matter. Now, you are making excuses about them not being as good then, but oh, they are now. Oh, they beat Florida, they have one good win. Great. Georgia has won one big game all year. Auburn peaked mid-season, that's why they are ranked in the 20's. This being said, they are still better than Ohio State.

So, Georgia isn't as good as advertised. USC has done what? Arizona State wasn't that good all year. And USC hasn't been that impressive. West Virginia is done, Mizzou is done and somehow Kansas stayed int he BCS picture after Mizzou beat them head to head. Sorry, but that's a crime and any Jayhawk fan knows it.

Last year this was easy. Ohio State was undefeated and #1. Some of us knew that they weren't the best team in the land going in. But you can't argue with them being there. Florida won the SEC. That's proof that they should have been there over Michigan. I think the outcome also proved they belonged there.

I don't believe the BCS Bowls or whatever you want to call them should measure on who were the best teams over the course of the season. Because if you have no losses, you aren't going to get penalized. But you could make the argument that LSU and Florida were in fact the two best teams last year. But, if you are undefeated, you belong. That's how college football has been played for a hundred years. All of a sudden, someone loses a game and now, oh, it's about who is the best team right now. Unless you aren't a big-time power a la Kansas. Where is the line drawn?

The bottom line, to me at least, is who's going to be the best team when the bowl season kicks off? I'd say LSU when they get healed up. Now. Here is where I am right and everyone else is wrong. All of you Ohio State haters out there...imagine if we had the old system. Ohio State would be playing USC in the Rose Bowl by definition. This wouldn't be a topic of conversation! If the past decade of bowl lunacy would have always stayed the same, the competition of the bowls would be better! You would see the games that you want to see!

So now, you are going to get split polls? Split national titles? Let me tell you something...I spend a lot of time every fall in Neyland Stadium and there are a couple of signs that claim that the Vols were National Champions about three times more than anyone else knows about. It's probably good for the programs. You think Mark Brunell is caring right now about split titles? What about Scott Frost?

This is what I'd like to see. The old system...including the Cotton Bowl being a big time game and ditching the Fiesta Bowl. The game that was made bigtime by a tortilla chip. There is more history in the Cotton Bowl than maybe any other bowl in history. Bring it back. By rule, should there be a split title, there would be a playoff between the two teams splitting the title with some big payoff. You want closure, there it is. No computers, no elaborate playoff system that you didn't come up with before anyone else. The old way with one more game for all of you who need closure.

This has been a major rant on the end of No Owens. For that I apologize. But it was necessary. We have some covered some good topics today. The hypocrisy behind the cases for "who's the best now," as well as the old bowl system. But most importantly, there won't be a playoff. Not going to happen. But what's most important is that you, whoever you are, aren't the genius who came up with "your" playoff format. Everyone has thought of the same thing that you claim to be the genius behind at the sports bar. So stop talking about it. No one cares.

Are You Emotionally Attached to Erik Ainge? If So, Go Someplace Else Today

I have defended Erik Ainge for the majority of his career at UT.

Today, I couldn't be more Anti-Ainge.

You hope that once in every four years or so you get an SEC Title. I mean, you want one every year, but let's be realistic. When your defense gives up 13 points to LSU's offense, you need to win. The Vols defense looked like what LSU's defense was supposed to look like. They were flying to the ball and knocking LSU's heads off. I don't know if I have ever seen a game that was as hard hitting as what the Vols distributed evenly across the LSU offense last Saturday. I have never seen anyone bleed on a football field like Ryan Perilloux did. Mayo and Rico were everywhere and as we all know, Eric Berry is going to be one of the best DB's in history. Even Brent Vinson with his constantly dislocated shoulder was laying shots out on the LSU receivers.

Tennessee's defense was to be the soft spot. Erik Ainge, the senior leader, was to be the strength. Look, UT even stuck with running the ball when LSU proved that it couldn't be done, but the coaches stuck to the plan. Did our offense flourish in the G-Gun? As always. Towards the end of the game, we were even seeing Jones in the slot, but the ball wasn't getting delivered to him. Grant, Denarius dropped a fourth down pass, deep in LSU territory, your quarterback has to play a perfect game against LSU. Ainge was far from it.

Where does UT go from here? I would love to see Jonathan Crompton start the Outback Bowl. What do we have to gain from Ainge playing? He's done. He's lost enough money given his present draft status. Oh, he also lost the SEC Title. It's time to think about the program, and Ainge has proven that he is no longer it.

Moving on to LSU. I can't believe that they got into the title game. I mean I can, but that's just bad. Georgia, sorry. Win your league then talk to someone. LSU is just going to do terrible things to Ohio State. Just terrible things to them. With a month off to recover from their punishment in the SEC, it's going to get ugly.

I can't wait to watch Georgia though. Hawaii? I don't think anyone really wants to play them. You don't know what you're going to expect. They could beat Georgia by 30 or they could lose by 30 and be carried off in a world record setting number of stretchers.